Project Darkling
by Angelholme
Summary: Four years after Voldemort's return, the last members of the resistance are forced to take drastic measures to secure the future. An AU story that is compliant to OOTP, but not HBP nor DH.
1. Project Darkling And Me

"If you ask most people about the parallel universe theory, they will give you a pretty standard answer. That, for each choice a person makes, a universe is created where the choice they didn't make is played out 

But, if you think about it for more than a moment, you will realise how unlikely it is that it would be as simple as that.

Think about your average day for a moment. How many choices you do you make before midday? Ten? Twenty? A hundred? A thousand? And what are the choices you make? Whether you get up at eight, or ten past eight? Whether you have sausages or bacon for breakfast? Whether you take three steps to walk to the floo, or four?

Now - consider that, with each one of those choices - however big or small, you are supposed to generate a new universe. Does that seam likely?

And then, if you factor in every person in the world, it becomes even less likely, bordering on the absurd.

Instead, we believe that only some of the decisions made end up creating new universes. So that, when you take three steps, instead of four, it only changes the world if that extra step has a lasting effect. So, for example if you take an extra step, and because of it, your partner gets kidnapped by Death Eaters, then a universe will exist where that didn't happen. But if all that happens is you take an extra step, then it doesn't create one.

Now - there are problems with this theory. No one, not even the great and the good, can know exactly what effect a decision will have. The extra step you took might not have a consequence right away, but if, because of it, you get in to the habit of taking extra steps, and ten years down the line, your partner gets kidnapped by Death Eaters, then where would the extra universe be spawned? At the time you took the first step, or the time you took the step on the day your partner vanished?

Project Darkling was our attempt to answer these questions. It was begun nearly fifteen years ago, by my mother. She worked as part of the Darkling group, and, on the day she died, she was casting the spell to invoke the risian equations. However the spell went wrong, and not only did this failure cause her death, it also affected her only daughter - me.

The Darkling group suspended all research after my mother's death, and never intended to restart the project, simply because the danger was too great to contemplate.

But then Voldemort returned, and things started to go bad for the side of light.

Four years after the Tri-Wizard tournament, Dumbledore's Army, and what little remained of The Order of The Phoenix, had been forced in to hiding. Voldemort had all but taken the United Kingdom as his own personal Empire, and resistance was fading fast.

It was then that Project Darkling was resurrected. Not out of scientific interest, but as the last, best hope of surviving the war, and retaking the country.

When I, at first, resisted calls to join, everyone assumed it was because I wanted nothing to do with the project that killed my mother.

However the truth was far more complex. I knew that, if I joined up with Darkling, I would, eventually, have to reveal my true nature. And the thought of doing that scared me far more than the thought of dying in the war.

But eventually the day came when I had no choice. So, against my better judgement, and against every instinct I had, I became part of the Darkling Group"


	2. The Briefing

Project Darkling Briefing Room. August 1999 

Luna Lovegood sat at the back of the briefing room, and watched as those who had chosen to take part in the project filed in to the room. Mostly, it was the people she had expected - Harry, Ron, Hermione ("Would she give up a chance like this?" Luna thought to herself), most of the surviving members of the DA ("Except Chang and Bones, of course. Traitorous little witches"), and the few members of The Order who had not been killed in Fudge's purges, or by the Death Eater sweeps that were now an almost daily occurrence in most areas of the country, and the odd muggle here and there, generally those related to someone in the DA or Order.

Once they had all arrived, she surveyed the group, and managed to raise a small smile. Despite the desperate situation the wizarding community of Britain found itself, the group assembled gave her some, if not a lot, of hope that they could pull this off, and that - one day - they would return their country its rightful rulers.

As her eyes scanned the crowd, her eyes widened in surprise ("What is he doing here? I would have thought he would be only too willing to turn all of us in for the tiniest bit of power!"), then she saw the source of her surprise talking to Harry, and actually shaking hands ("Wow. I never thought I would see that happen in this universe. Maybe I should have bought that lottery ticket")

She stood up as the Project Leader walked in to the room, as did the rest of the wizards and witches. But this was no mere act of courtesy, as Luna herself knew only too well. The woman who had just entered the room had not only escaped from Azkaban unaided ("One of only three to do so"), but also rescued twelve other prisoners, including Luna, and killed a dozen or so Death Eaters on the way out. The Escape, as it had become known, was one of the very few good things that had happened since Voldemort's return, and by far and away the biggest thorn in his side.

"Thank you" The Project Leader walked up behind the podium "Please - take your seats" She waited until they were all sat down again, then she gave a brief smile "You have all read the briefing books, and you know why we are here. In an hour, we will engage the risian engine, and Project Darkling will be under way. But, before that happens, I must be sure you all understand the dangers involved, because this venture is not without its risks" She looked around the room, and her eyes came to rest on Luna "And so, to explain the risks and dangers, may I present our chief scientist, Miss Luna Lovegood"

Luna stood up, and walked to the front.

"Project Darkling is the codename for the forced invocation of the risian equations, via device known as the discord engine. This will break down the barriers between the parallel universes for a short time. During this time, we will send each of you in to one of those universes. There, you will learn, train, make friends and allies, and do the best you can to prepare for the time you are called back, so that we can retake our country, and we can - once and for all - rid the world of Voldemort" She looked around, and saw most of the people nodding. But, since most of what she had said was covered in the briefing books, it was not surprising

"However, as Miss Black mentioned, there are some risks in this that we can't eliminate, and that are very large. The parallel universes we are sending you to are created by the choices that have been made in the past, that much know, but we don't know which choices spawned which universe. Further - the very act of choosing to do this might well spawn another universe where we didn't do it, and - by extension - every choice that you, each of you, make whilst in your assigned universe could spawn yet more universes, and these could form at an exponential rate" She took a breath, not wanting to say the next sentence, but knowing she had no choice.

"There is every possibility that, even if we can send you to another universe, we might not be able to get you back from there when the time comes. You will be stuck in that alternate world for the rest of your life, unable to get back" She looked around, but no one seemed to be leaving.

"There are also the normal risks. We have no idea what the universes are like, and no way of finding out before you go. There might be universes where Voldemort doesn't exist, or where he has been in power since the end of the first war. There might be universes where the wizard and muggle worlds are fully integrated, or where witch-burning is still a regular occurrence" She paused as an idea entered her head "There might even be a universe without shrimp. We just don't know. And as such, we have no idea how dangerous the places we are sending you to are. You be captured, tortured or killed" She looked around again, but there was still no signs of mass exodus.

"And, finally, there is the chance the discord engine will blow up and wipe out all life as we know it. But, on the up side, if that happens, there will be no one around to complain about it, so I think we will get away with it" There were a few laughs.

"So - given all the inherent danger, you might well wonder why we are doing this at all" She took another deep breath "Well - the truth is - we have no other choice. All our calls for aid and assistance from the other magical governments have gone unanswered, and most of the population of Britain seems to have already given in to Voldemort's rule. Commanders Potter and Dumbledore estimate we can last six, maybe eight weeks before we are wiped out, and once that happens, the war will be over. So - either we sit and wait for our doom to come, or we take this step - however dangerous and risky it might be - to try to secure a better future, if not for us, then for our descendants" She surveyed the crowd, then turned back to the the head of the project "Your turn again"

As she walked back to her seat, she noticed a few pairs of eyes following her, but she ignored them. She had decided not to tell the the whole truth, even though it might make them feel better about their chances.

"Thank you, Miss Lovegood" The project leader looked over the group again "The discord engine will be ready in twelve hours. You have until that time to decide. And I am sorry, but no one will be allowed to leave until this is over, one way or another. If you do not wish to take part, you may leave after we have completed the transfers, but until then there is to be no communication with the outside world"

Luna watched as the crowd began to break up, seeing if anyone was likely to change their minds, or if anyone was going to break the ban on communications. Then she realised that someone was heading her way. And it was the very last person she wanted to talk to.


	3. My Gift, My Curse

"My mother was a genius. At the time of her death, she was widely regarded as one of the twenty smartest witches in the world, and certainly the smartest of her generation. 

And it was because of her genius that she became one of the founders of Project Darkling. She had a true gift for what muggles call theoretical physics, and what the pure-bloods call experimental magic, but she also had an imagination that allowed her to see what no one else could see.

This lead to her working out the spells for the risian equations. And, sadly, it also lead to her death. However even if she had known it was coming, there wasn't a lot she could have done about it.

The parallel universe theory tells us that, for any given person, there are several dozen others like them in other universes. But if you expand your imagination, and think about the potential number of universes out there, you will realise the number is more than several dozen. It can run in to the thousands, hundreds of thousands, possibly millions.

Which was part of what Project Darkling was trying to find out - how many universes there are out there, and whether or not we are capable of getting in touch with them.

She became one of the founders in 1984, three years after I was born, and almost two and a half years after Harry Potter vanquished Lord Voldemort. It was one of the first true research projects since the end of the first war, and had the potential to be one of the most useful (or the most dangerous, but, like all research, indeed all magic, that is the choice of those who use it).

Six years later, just after my ninth birthday, she perfected the risian equations, and then, as expected, she cast the spells, and created the first prototype of the discord engine.

I know, because I saw her do it.

And if it had just been her, it would have been fine. My mother would have lived on, and I would not have... changed. Or if it had been another spell, then my mother would have been fine, and I would not have changed.

But the magical backlash of several hundred thousand versions of my mother casting a spell that, basically, lowered the barriers between parallel universes, was immense. From what I have learned, it killed every single one of the Elana Lovegoods that cast it, caused permanent breaches in the barriers, and created an unbreakable neural link between all of the Luna Lovegoods.

Ever since my mother died, I have had the ability to see in to the other universes, through the eyes of the parallel versions of me. It's this skill that makes me seem so flighty - I find it hard, sometimes, to concentrate on the universe I am in, when I have a million others to look at. After two or three years, I discovered that it extended through ALL the universes - not just those where my mother had cast the spell. And while it did mean that I got to see my mother - or at least various versions of her - again, it made the problem exponentially worse.

Even now, I am not sure I am entirely in control of this gift (or this curse) that I have inside, but when the new leader of Project Darkling - Miss Black - worked it out, she realised why all her work wasn't going to get her anywhere.

I spent my whole life hiding what I could do, but when Miss Black approached me, and told me the truth about the war, about her work on Darkling, and about why she needed me to operate the discord engine, I realised I had no choice. I would have to do as she asked, or see everyone I loved - indeed everyone I ever knew, killed by the coming storm.

The ability to see in to other universes is a great gift, but now... now I have to use it to send my friends, those I fought beside and those I love, in to other universes. To send them somewhere they might not come back.

Some gift, huh?"


	4. Unforgivable

Note - The rating has changed from "T" to "M" because the story has taken a darker turn, and I am not sure where the line between "T" and "M" lies. But rather than have my story deleted, I thought I would err on the side of caution.

* * *

Project Darkling Briefing Room, August 1999 

When I realised who was walking towards me, I really considered just walking away. It had been nearly three years since I last spoke to her, and I could easily wait another three hundred before doing it again.

But, as the semi-official-joint-head of PD, it would have been unseemly for me to turn and flee. So instead, I started counting backwards from 692, and simply stared at her.

"Hello Luna" She smiled at me. When I didn't return it, her smile faded "So you are still mad at me?"

"So it would seem"

"Would it help if I said I was sorry?"

"You have done that already. And if it didn't help then, I can't imagine how it would help now"

"So you are not going to give me even the slightest break?"

"So it would seem" She glared at me for a moment.

"When did you become so..."

"So what?"

"Hard? Cold? Mean?"

"I don't know" I adopted a thoughtful pose, which only made her more annoyed "Maybe it was the seven months I spent in Azkaban after you turned me over to Fudge's Angels" I stared at her "Do you know what I heard? Every moment of every day? I heard my mother screaming as she died in the backlash. I heard my father screaming as he was tortured to death in front of me to get me to talk. I heard the voice of my girlfriend as she was driven out of her mind by the cruciatus curse" I paused, not wanting to lose control. Miss Black was a big supporter of mine, but I think that if I killed someone in front of her, even the little witch-bitch I was staring at now, that even she would have to take action against me "Yup. I think it was that"

The entire room had fallen in to silence, and everyone was now watching our confrontation. But I ignored all of them, and continued staring at the woman in front of me.

"What did you come over here for?" I asked her.

"I wanted to make amends" She tried for a smile, but failed "If we are all going to die, I wanted to do it with a clean conscience"

I stared at her in disbelief for a moment, then, despite the anger I was feeling, laughed in her face.

"Tell me something, little girl, are you actually sorry? Or do you just want me to forgive you, so that when you go beyond the veil, you can great your parents with your head held high?" I glared at her "Go away - I am done talking to you" I turned, and walked away from her, towards where the "Golden Trio" were stood. They were staring at me in surprise "Hey guys. Thanks for coming"


	5. Four Years

"The Tri-Wizard Tournament was held in 1995, in the grounds of Hogwarts School. At the end of it, Harry Potter and Lucinda Doyle were kidnapped via portkey, and taken to little Hangleton. Lucinda was killed, and Harry was forced to watch as Voldemort was brought back to life.

They dueled, and Harry escaped, with Lucinda's body, and returned to Hogwarts. Harry told Dumbledore and Minister Fudge about Voldemort's return, but Fudge chose not to believe him. Instead, he blamed Harry for Lucinda's death, and began to publicly discredit any story that Harry, or Dumbledore, might try to tell.

In the year that followed his return, Voldemort carried out a few terror attacks. Nothing big or overt, just little sorties and so on. Buildings were attacked, people went missing. And Minister Fudge, the man charged with securing our safety, security and peaceful lives, used these as an excuse to clamp down on the population in general, and on Dumbledore and The Order of The Phoenix in particular.

Because he couldn't admit he was wrong - that it was Voldemort behind the attacks - Fudge declared The Order to be an illegal group, and provided "evidence" that they were going to try to overthrow the government, using "Voldemort" as a cover. And, when he found out about The DA, he expanded his policies to take care of us as well.

To fight the "growing threat that these vigilante groups pose", Minister Fudge formed The Angels - an elite group of Aurors that had the sole purpose of hunting us down, and dealing with us by any means necessary. They were given extra-ordinary latitude in their duties (which meant they were basically above the law, and accountable to no one except The Minister), and they were very good at what they did.

Fourteen months after Voldemort returned, Hogwarts was taken over, and put under direct control of The Ministry and The Angels. Due to advance warning (we had very few supporters in The Ministry, but those we had were very loyal to us), most of us in The DA and The Order escaped. A few volunteered to stay behind, to act as a fifth column, including Cho Chang and Susan Bones, and Ginny Weasley.

Less than two weeks after the exodus, an Order meeting was raided by The Angels, lead by Chang and Bones. They, apparently, had been recruited a few months before, in order to make sure Fudge knew what was going on.

Of the one hundred and fifty seven of us there, only thirty six escaped. Those who weren't killed, or executed, during the raid were sent to Azkaban. I was one of the thirty six that escaped, but my freedom was short lived. A month after the raid, I was at a safe-house with my father, when a squad of twenty Angels attacked. We were taken without a fight, and when they realised who I was, they thought I might have a lot of information I could give them. So they used my father to get it. They thought that by torturing him, I would give them whatever they wanted.

It didn't work. But when I go beyond the veil, I know he will greet me with open arms.

I went to Azkaban, and spent seven months in hell. And during that time, both Fudge and Voldemort stepped up their activities. The death-toll was immense, and yet we - the DA and The Order, got the blame for it all. Support for us dwindled, until we were renegades in eyes of the whole country.

After I was rescued in the Black-Breakout of 97, I went underground. I still kept in contact with (the now) Commander Potter, but I started to work on my own, so that no one other than Harry knew where I was. And although I blush to say it myself, I did a lot of damage, both to The Angels and Voldemort's forces. I think I am known as The Dark Avenger (at least, that is the most flattering term I have heard), and although I am not proud to say it, I have killed a good fifty or so Death Eaters, and around twenty Angels in the past two years. And not once have I used dark, black or evil magic to do it, and not once have I killed anyone who I wasn't sure was bad.

The only time I was tempted was when I found out who betrayed me and my father. No - betrayal is the wrong word. Betrayal implies an active, conscious decision to stab someone in the back. What Ginny did was far worse.

She told us that she wanted to stay, to be our spy in Gryffindor, so that she could help her family, and help out The DA. Fred and George had left during Umbridge's rein of terror, and Ron - well, as a member of The Golden Trio, his life would be forfeit even if he was a model pupil (and what were the odds of that?). And we all believed her - after all, she was a daughter of one of the lightest families in the country, right?

But we found out that wasn't entirely true. She did want to help, but she also had a boyfriend who she didn't want to leave. A boyfriend with whom she spent a lot of time.

A boyfriend for whom she neglected a lot of her duties as our Gryffindor spy. She didn't read most of the updates we sent her, preferring to let "Cho and Sue" take care of it. And on the day she was sent the letter, telling her that her two "best friends" were Angels, she was getting ready for a date with Colin, so she put the note to one side, and forgot about it.

She finally got round to reading it five weeks later - a week after she had told Chang and Bones about the new safe-house that was being used to shelter members of the DA.

Commanders Potter and Dumbledore have made it clear that they need her in our group. That we have a lack of numbers, and that they both feel she has learned her lesson. Harry also told me privately that they would not be trusting her with any important tasks, and that she would always be working with a partner. And they both understand that I will not now, or at any time in the future, be that partner, and they fully accept my reasons for it.

And while part of me is tempted to ensure she gets one of the "less nice" universes out there, I know that they are both right. The last six months has seen our group reduced to less than a quarter of what it was, and we need every person we can get.

But that doesn't mean I have to be nice to her"


	6. One Of Those Things

Project Darkling Meeting Room C, August 1999

Luna sat down opposite The Golden Trio, and smiled.

"Okay - there is something I feel I need to tell you. I didn't mention it in the Briefing, because Miss Black asked me not to, but she also said that you three deserved to know, and that the reasons for not telling the others would not apply to you"

They stared back at her, trying to work out exactly what she had said.

"Miss Black is the Project Leader, but she is not the one who has ultimate control of this project. That would be me"

"You?" Hermione asked "Why you?"

"It's a long story, but basically this project will not work without me" She smiled "I am able to have some degree of control over where I send everyone"

"How?"

"When my mother died, I gained an unusual talent. I can see in to the other universes, to one degree or another, and I have an idea which ones are safe, and which ones aren't" She chuckled at the looks on their faces "I know - it sounds unbelievable, but trust me - I wouldn't lie about this"

"So..." Harry trailed off, then frowned "So why did you tell everyone it was so dangerous, when it isn't?"

"Two reasons" Luna's face turned serious "The first is that, as I said, the very act of doing this changes the future, and so might create other universes. And so although I have some control, until we actually try this, I don't know how much. It might be as dangerous as I said, or it might be a walk in the park"

"Okay" Hermione was nodding in understanding.

"The second is that the whole process requires some degree of belief from the people taking part" She held up her hand to forestall any comments "By that I mean only this - if the person who is being transported has faith that they are doing the right thing, then the outcome will be better than if they are unsure"

"And so you scared everyone to ensure that anyone who does take part is absolutely certain" Ron said thoughtfully "Makes sense"

"And the reason you are telling us?" Harry asked, but before Luna could reply, Hermione interrupted.

"Miss Black knows we are going to do this regardless of the danger, doesn't she Luna?" Luna nodded.

"There are one or two others who we could tell - Commander Dumbledore and Draco for example - but we would rather not spread the word, to avoid it slipping out"

"Okay" Harry and Hermione stood up, but Ron remained seated, staring at Luna.

"Ronald?"

"Was it necessary?"

"Yes"

"And you won't..."

"No. I can't"

"And you don't think you are being unfair?"

"Percy" She saw Ron flinch "Are you ever going to forgive him?"

"That was different"

"And if it had been an accident? Would that make it easier?" Luna continued to stare at him, until he shook his head "I have no problem working with her, and I will make the same promise for her that I do for each of you - that I will try to send you to the best place I can - but I will not be friends with her, nor will I ever forgive her"

Ron returned her stare, then he nodded slowly.

"For what it's worth" He said softly "She is truly sorry"


	7. Alone

"I really can't bring myself to care whether the little witch-bitch was sorry or not. In less than twelve hours, I am going to send 24 people in to the great beyond, and there is every possibility that I will never see any of them again.

The only two people who I know for certain are not going to go are Miss Black and I. We both know the risks of staying - the Commanders' estimate of six to eight weeks was optimistic at best - but the discord engine will be required to return the travelers from whence they go, and even if the magic or technology existed to make it fire on its own, someone has to stay behind to protect it from Voldemort and Fudge.

We both agreed that the fewer people who stayed to protect the engine, the better. While a large army might be able to stand up to anyone who would raid us, they would not be able to stand up for very long. But a small party - two or three - along with various spells and enchantments, would stand a better chance of surviving the wait, and keeping the machine protected as well.

Miss Black had decided to stay before the briefing, and of course I knew I would have to stay. And the reasons behind made me more uneasy than anything else we were doing.

I was never really popular as a child. Even before my mother died, I didn't have a lot of friends. I sometimes played with the Weasley kids (and don't you just love the fact that the girl I would once describe as my best friend as a kid turned out to be the one that sent me to hell?), but mostly I spent time with my parents.

My father was just starting The Quibbler, and he told me the stories he was putting me in, and let me help (sometimes) with the printing.

My mother was, as I mentioned, a genius, and she sometimes let me watch her work. The various effects she produced were impressive, and kept me suitably entertained for hours at a time.

After she died, my father retreated in to his work, and I became more of a loner than before. I just accepted the isolation as a part of life, and never really thought about it. I learned to be completely independent, to not rely on anyone but myself.

The return of Voldemort, for all the bad it brought, also made my life a little better. Harry brought me in to Dumbledore's Army, and I made a lot of new friends. And, just before Christmas of the first year, I discovered that Hannah and I had something in common that neither of us had realised. We started dating, and - for the first time in a long time - I felt like I belonged somewhere, and that I wasn't alone.

But, as you will have realised, it didn't last.

The school was overthrown, and most of us fled. Hannah escaped the Bones/Chang raid, and she was out meeting a contact when my father and I were captured. She stayed on the run for another ten weeks, but was then captured by Susan, and when Miss Bones spilled the beans about Hannah and me, he had me summoned from Azkaban at once. He asked me to tell him where Commanders Potter and Dumbledore were, and - when I refused - he had five of his Angels (including the said Miss Bones) cast the cruciatus curse on her. For six hours, I was forced to watch my girlfriend scream in agony as they tortured her to get me to talk.

But I knew that if I gave in - if I told them what they wanted to know, she would never, ever forgive me, and would, in all probability, kill herself to avoid it happening again.

So I stood and watched as they tortured her in to insanity, and then - in a final act of malice - Fudge gave her to me to look after, so that 'I would never forget what I had done that day'.

The day after we were returned to my cell, I ended her suffering. When Miss Black broke us out, we took her body with us, and gave her a burial at sea, so that no one would ever be able to use her against me again.

I decided that, from then on, I would not let myself get in to that position again. I would be friendly, I would laugh, I would make jokes, but I would never love, and never allow anyone to give their life, or their sanity, for me again.

And yet, because of my unique position within Project Darkling, I am fully aware that every single person involved would die to protect me, and that there is nothing I can do to stop them, because if I die, then our future dies with me.

It is not a nice feeling, and if I could change it I would"

"Luna?"

"Yes"

"It's time"


	8. Should I Stay, or Should I Go?

Project Darkling Briefing Room 

Luna stood next to Miss Black at the front of the room, and surveyed the two groups. Of the 24 people who had come, six were stood to the right of her, and the rest to the left. The eigtheen on her left had all decided to go. They included Harry, Hermione, Dumbledore, Draco, Sirius, Snape, Dudley Dursley and the four surviving Weasleys - Ginny, Ron, Charlie and Fred.

The other six - the ones on her right - had all decided to stay. Colin, Remus, Tonks, Katie, Cedric and Mad-Eye Moody.

"Can I ask the six of you who are staying to go in to the next room, and to stay there until the process is complete?" Miss Black called out. They all nodded, and went in to one of the meeting rooms. After the door had closed, she pulled her wand, cast a few silencing and privacy spells, then she turned back to the waiting group.

"We are going to start the spells in around half an hour, but there is something we needed to tell you first"

"So you two are not coming with us?" Harry interrupted.

"No" Luna shook her head "We need to stay behind to ensure that when the time comes, we can recall you" Miss Black nodded, then continued.

"Now - after some consultation with Luna, and because of the number of you who have chosen to go, we are going to send you through in pairs. Although this will reduce the number of universes we can explore, we believe that all of you will have a better chance of surviving, and not going crazy, if you have someone familiar with you" She looked around "We have assigned the pairings as fairly as we can - we have kept partners together, and tried not to put people together who might have personality conflicts" Here she glanced at Harry and Snape, who both chuckled "But if any of you have a problem, please come and see us, and we will endeavour to do what we can. But be warned - this is not a work's outing, and our decision is final"

She pulled out her wand again, and pointed it at the wall behind her. Suddenly the wall lit up with nine pairs of names.

Harry Potter, Hermione Granger  
Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape  
Draco Malfoy, Ginny Weasley  
Ron Weasley, Dean Thomas  
Charlie Weasley, Fleur Delacour  
Lavender Brown, Dudley Dursley  
Fred Weasley, Alicia Spinnett  
Minerva McGonagall, Sirius Black  
Orla Quirke, Morag McDougal

She looked around the room, and saw everyone nodding in agreement at the list.

"Well, we will call that settled then" She smiled "Miss Lovegood and I will start the forced invocation in about thirty minutes, but first we have to talk to the other six. I would advise you use this time to say goodbye, as it will be a long time before you see each other again".

xoxox

"The six of you have decided to stay behind, and although we accept all your reasons, I am afraid we are going to have to subject you to veritaserum questioning before we can let you leave, and once we have finished the invocations, we will have to obliviate all of you to protect our location and our work" Miss Black stood at the front of the meeting rooms. When there were some murmurs, she held up her hand "I am not suggesting that any of you will sell us out to Voldemort, but I am sure you all understand we can not afford to take the risk. If you refuse to undergo the questioning, or the obliviation, then we will either hold you here until you agree, or we will send you against your will"

"I can't speak for the rest" Colin said, standing up "But I was hoping to stay here, and help you defend the building until the time comes to call the others back"

"And we appreciate it, but you still have to submit to questioning" Luna said. She conjured a chair, and pulled out a vial of veritaserum "We will try to restrict our questioning to things that are relevant, but we apologise in advance if we stray in to personal areas, or cause any embarrassment" She looked around "So - who's first?"

"What is your name?"  
"Remus Lupin"  
"Why do you wish to stay behind?"  
"I don't think I would be safe to go"  
"Why not?"  
"I am a werewolf"  
"Why would that make you dangerous?"  
"I might appear at full moon. I might kill, or infect, someone else"  
"Is there any other reason?"  
"No"  
"What would you do if you stayed?"  
"Stay and protect the project"  
"Would you ever collaborate with Voldemort?"  
"No. I would rather die first"  
"Thank you"

"What is your name?"  
"Tonks"  
"What is your first name?"  
"Nymphadora"  
"Why did you not say that initially?"  
"Because I don't consider it a part of my name any more, and I hate it"  
"Very well. Why do you want to stay behind?"  
"Because I think I can be more use here"  
"How?"  
"I am one of only two known metamorphs, and I can use my skill to spy on Voldemort"  
"Is that the only reason?"  
"No"  
"Why else?"  
"Because I don't want to leave my husband behind" There was a pause, then the questioning continued.  
"When did you marry?"  
"Four months ago"  
"Why did you marry in secret?"  
"To protect him from reprisals"  
"Does he work for Voldemort?"  
"No"  
"Is he a part of the resistance?"  
"No"  
"Does he know about this project?"  
"No"  
"Are you going to tell him about it?"  
"Not of my own free will" There was another pause  
"Would you want us to ask the name of your husband?"  
"No"  
"Why?"  
"If you know, someone else might find out"  
"Very well. Would you ever collaborate with Voldemort?"  
"No"  
"Thank you"

"What is your name?"  
"Alastor Moody"  
"Why do you want to stay behind?"  
"I want to kill Death Eaters and I can't do that in another world"  
"Is that the only reason?"  
"No"  
"Why else?"  
"I don't believe this will work, and if I am to die, I would rather die here"  
"Would you ever collaborate with Voldemort?"  
"No"  
"Thank you"

"What is your name?"  
"Katie Diggory"  
"Not Katie Bell?"  
"No"  
"Are you married to the Cedric that is in this room?"  
"Yes"  
"And when did you marry?"  
"A year ago"  
"Why do you wish to stay?"  
"I am pregnant, and do not want to hurt my baby"  
"Is that the only reason?"  
"Yes"  
"What would you do if you stayed?"  
"I would protect the project, and protect my child"  
"Would you ever collaborate with Voldemort?"  
"No"  
"Thank you"

"What is your name?"  
"Cederic Diggory"  
"Why do you wish to remain behind?"  
"Because my wife is pregnant"  
"Is there any other reason you wish to stay?"  
"No"  
"What do you plan to do?"  
"Stay and protect the project and protect my wife and child"  
"Would you ever collaberate with Voldemort?"  
"No"  
"Thank you"

"What is your name?"  
"Colin Creevey"  
"Why do you wish to stay behind?"  
"Because I owe Luna Lovegood, and wish to repay my debt"  
"How do you owe her?"  
"It was partly my fault she was captured, and I will do anything to prevent it happening again"  
"When you say anything, does that mean collaborating with Voldemort?"  
"No"  
"Are you aware that Luna doesn't blame you?"  
"Yes"  
"And yet you would fight and die to save her?"  
"I owe her that"  
"Are there any other reasons you wish to stay?"  
"No"  
"Thank you"

A few minutes after they had finished questioning Colin, Miss Black faced the group again.  
"I am satisfied with your answers, and, on a side note, congratulations to Katie and Cedric, and to Nym... to Tonks" She smiled "Cedric, Katie, Remus, Colin - we would be glad of your company. Mad-Eye - you can leave, but with a memory charm. Tonks - the same applies" She stood up "Now - I am afraid I will have to lock you all in this room until we are done. Once we start the invocations, we can not be interrupted, and if any of you were to wander in by accident, it could be disastrous" She saw the looks on their faces "The spell will automatically collapse should I die, or in twelve hours if I don't return to dispell it, so you won't be trapped forever"

"We should be done in an hour" Luna said "So we will see you then" She pulled out her wand "Forgive me for this. OBLIVIATE!"


	9. Magus Eunt Universum

Project Darkling Briefing Room 

"The time has come to start" Miss Black stood at the front of the room "Miss Lovegood will give you a brief outline of the spell involved, then we will cast the invocation, and she will send each of you to the universe selected" She took a step back, and Luna moved to the front.

"There are three spells required to invoke the risian equations, and one of them is an over-written invocation that will require two people to do. I must ask you to keep absolutely silent as these are cast, because any word spoken might be taken as part of the spell, and I have no idea what the outcome might be if that were to happen" She paused to ensure they all understood "Once the discord engine is running, I will send each pair to a universe with the spell 'magus eunt universum' and..." She turned to where Hermione had snorted in surprise "Yes, Hermione?"

"People called wizards, they go the world?"

"Magic is not an exact science" She replied sheepishly "It is the only one that works" Hermione nodded, still giggling to herself "And then, once we have sent you all off, we will close down the engine, and release the six waiting through there" She took a breath "This is your absolute last chance to back out. We are going to ward the entire room against any magic other than ours, so once we being, you will be helpless and at our mercy" She considered cackling maniacally, but decided this wasn't the time to inject humour in to the situation "Very well. If you could all move to the back of the hall"

xoxox

"Enkarta deceiptia verasum, monkela theare tuvanum. Video tuscan excatum traixa telaha"

Luna stared at the wall, and saw the beginnings of the portal open. She turned, and nodded to Miss Black, who stepped foward.

"Envala twixea thorongad taxia"  
"Topala miovn xchala zkla"  
"Twikini vincea tlea thsa putah"  
"Laha nahma elaka nahma arasta vixena"

The portal grew bigger, and Miss Black took a step back.

"Omnes vervant liberante, spula deus noches. Alonsa kaeia chxleta qxtlwsx"

She stopped, and smiled. There was a shining circle, the height of a person, in the wall. She turned, and nodded to the first couple. They stepped foward, and Luna tapped each of them on their shoulder with her wand, then turned back to the portal.

"magus eunt universum ascartum"

She gestured for them to walk forward, and, as they entered the portal, they vanished. She turned to the next couple, and tapped them on their shoulders.

"magus eunt universum betraphran"

The sequence was repeated, and the two vanished in to the portal.

She repeated the process seven more times, then - after the last couple had gone - she turned to face the portal again.

"Finite transparum omnes universum. Collatum discord enshalam duval!"

The portal vanished in a flash of light, then the wall re-appeared, looking as normal as ever. She closed her eyes for a moment, then turned to face Miss Black.

"Well - it is done. They are where they should be"

"Good" Miss Black smiled, then turned to dispell the enchantments on the meeting room. But then she stopped, and turned back "Luna?"

"Yes?"

"Isn't it about time you called me Bella?"


	10. She Who Must Not Be Named

"There are very few names that put fear and terror in to the hearts of Death Eaters, but if you asked people to make a list of the top three, then every single person would put the same name at the top of it, and it would be way ahead of any other choice.

Born in to one of the darkest wizarding families in history, Bellatrix Black was the oldest of three sisters. At first, she was quite willing to follow in the path her family laid down for her, but when she went to school, and met muggle-born and half-blood students, she began to question whether or not the lessons she had learned as a child were right, and whether or not there was another way.

By the time she left Hogwarts, she had turned her back on her family once and for all, and - along with her cousin Sirius - joined the fight against the first rise of Voldemort. But before she could do anything to establish her credibility, the war was brought to an abrupt end, and a number of prominent Death Eaters were arrested, including Lucius Malfoy - Bella's brother in law.

When he was dragged before a special session of the Wizengamot, he claimed that he had been under the imperious curse, and that he had, secretly, been working against Voldemort all this time. And, to strengthen his case, he also named a few other Death Eaters, including Bella.

She was arrested, tried and sentenced to life in Azkaban, but before she could be transported there, a few members of The Order broke her out of jail. She went in to hiding, and wasn't seen again until just over five years ago, when Sirius Black broke out of Azkaban.

There are plenty of rumours about what she was doing in the intervening time, but no one really knows for sure. Some say she was hunting down the Death Eaters that escaped the net, at least those who were not protected by the Ministry. And, given that a number of people turned up dead, with no apparent cause of death but all bearing a Dark Mark on their left arm, maybe they were right. Others say that she was looking for proof of what happened to Voldemort, to determine if he was really dead, or simply hiding out. And yet others say she was actively looking to return Voldemort to power (although nowadays, after four years of war, there are very few people who still believe this).

For myself, I believe she was preparing for the next war - that she knew Voldemort was not dead, but that no one would believe her, so she decided to start the resistance herself.

A few months after Sirius Black broke out of Azkaban, and the whole of the country was on alert, Bellatrix was captured, trying to sneak in to Hogwarts. She told the Wizengamot that she was attempting to capture Sirius Black, but Fudge, who even then was far more useless than his predecessor, didn't believe her, and sent her back to Azkaban.

I spent seven months there, and I have never been through anything as bad as that, and would rather die than going through it again. But Bella, Bella spent two and a half years in that hell-hole, and yet she picked the day and time of her escape, killed everyone who stood in her way and rescued a number of other prisoners.

But even then, she didn't rest on her laurels.

The Ministry refer to her as "She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named", while the Death Eaters call her The Harbinger. She has killed more Death Eaters than anyone else. She has been responsible for more prison breaks than anyone else. She is the single most deadly warrior in both The Order and The DA, and quite possibly the reason why the resistance hasn't been wiped out completely.

So you can imagine why I find it so hard to call her Bella"


	11. The Magnificant Eight

Before she dispelled the enchantments on the meeting room, Bella turned to Luna.

"So - the eighteen members of the resistance have gone abroad to attempt to get help for our fight?"

"Yes"

"And these six stayed behind to fight the good fight?"

"Yes" Luna paused "And to protect our research center"

"Of course" She looked at the door "You realise that Tonks being married will complicate this a little?"

"A little, but I don't think the problems will be insurmountable" Luna smiled "Ready?"

"As I will ever be" Bella paused, then looked at Luna in concern "Are you going to be able to do this? After..."

"I am fine" The blonde girl smiled "There's something I haven't told you before, because I didn't want it getting out" She saw the look of surprise on her boss' face "I trust you, Miss Black..."

"Bella"

"... but that's about as far as it goes, for now" Luna took a deep breath "Aside from the neural link between me and the other Lunas, I have also learned to draw on their magic, if I need to" She couldn't help herself, and giggled at the look on Bella's face "So - yes. I will be fine"

"You can draw on the magic of... millions of other Lunas?" Bella was astounded "Would that make you the most powerful mage in the world?" Luna shook her head.

"Not really, no" She paused "I can draw on their magic, but there is a limit as to how much magic I can use at once" Bella looked at her, confused "Well - if you picture a bucket, and fill it with water" Bella nodded "Well - I can't refill the bucket while I am pouring the water out"

"Oh" Bella nodded "So you have a limitless supply of magic, but you can only use it in little bits at a time?"

"Yeah" Luna smiled "If I tried to draw on their magic while I am using it, then I think I would either snap the connection, or overload my magic completely and burn it out" She shivered "And since neither of them sound like fun, I am content just to go on like I am" She looked over at the door "So - shall we get this started?"

xoxox

"Here's the thing. The eight of us are the last of the resistance, and as such are the last line against the darkness. We can't afford to lose any of you, and so we have come up with a plan to protect you all until the others return" Luna turned to Bella, and indicated she should explain.

"We are going to put you all under a Fidelius charm" Bella said "The building is already protected, but this charm will be cast on the six of you, and Luna and I will be the secret keepers"

"What about my husband?" Tonks asked.

"We will escort you home, and tell him the secret" Luna replied "But you will have to give him a reasonable story as to why you are now working in secret"

"And our baby?" Cedric asked, arm around Katie.

"The baby will be fine, and unaffected" Bella replied "Do you have a healer?"

"Rose Pomphrey at St Mungos"

"Okay. We can talk to her, and let her know" Bella paused "But you will have to set up some sort of system between you for meeting and so forth" She looked at the others "Are you three going to be okay?"

"Will we be able to move around?" Mad-Eye asked.

"Yes. You can walk down Diagon Alley, and no one will know you are there" Luna smiled grimly "But you won't be immune to magic, nor to any detection spells that might be cast, so..."

"Constant Vigilance?" Moody said with a smirk.

"Damn right" Bella looked over the others "Now - there is one other alternative to this, and although I don't think any of you will take it, I thought it only fair to mention it" She took a deep breath "We can obliviate you completely. All memories of the resistance, of this project, of your fellow members - gone. You will think you have spent the last four years of the war in your normal jobs"

"But won't Voldemort still know who we are?" Remus asked.

"Yes, and you will be in danger of capture, torture and death, and you won't even know why" She stared at them "If you want out, you can go, and no one here will hold it against you. But you should be aware of all the ramifications of your choice"

"I think I speak for all of us" Colin said "When I say we will stay. Not because we fear being caught, but because to walk away... it's just something we can't do" The other five nodded, and both Luna and Bella smiled.

"Very well" Luna pulled a notepad out of her robes "From what you have said, I have sorted out some assignments for the duration. Colin - you are going to be my body-guard"

"Yes m'am"

"Remus - you will do the same for Bella" Remus smirked.

"Like she needs it"

"She might not, but I would feel better about it" Luna turned to Moody "Alastor - you are going to be left to what you do best. You are not required to check in at any particular time, but I would take it as a kindness if you let us know you are alive every so often"

"Of course"

"Tonks - I want you to be a scout. You don't need to fight unless you want to, but we do need information"

"Yes Luna"

"And you two" She turned to Cedric and Katie "We'd like you to be the... chiefs of staff, for want of a better phrase"

"Which means... what?" Cedric asked.

"We need a place to live, and we need supplies - food, potions ingredients and so on. And we need someone to run our HQ" Bella replied "And, as Katie gets further along, we think she should stay inside the building wards as much as possible"

"Thank you" Cedric smiled "We will do our best"

"What will you and Miss Black be doing?" Colin asked.

"Research mostly" Luna replied quickly "And we will spend most of the time inside the building, so you and Remus will also be on sentry duty" She looked around "Okay - if there are no more questions or problems, we will begin"


	12. They Also Serve

"The nine teams all made it to their respective universes. And, as planned, they were all met by versions of me. And now, now my friends and loved ones are strangers in a strange land, trying to find their way through a world that is different to them as night is to day.

Some of them will succeed, some will fail. Of all the teams, I think I fear for Ron and Dean the most, but Draco will have no easy time, neither will Fleur.

But, despite all that, I am pretty confident in saying that all will have adventures the likes of which they could never have dreamed of when they were younger.

It will be three years before we can bring them back. It might seem like a long time, but the various elemental... elements that we need to break down the barriers won't align again until three years have passed. And to attempt it before then could cause chaos the likes of which even God has never seen, so you can see why we are just a tad reluctant to try.

I will keep an eye on them - all of them - as the time passes, and if I can, I will see if I can influence my other selves to help and guide them. But communicating with myself across dimensional barriers is not, it won't surprise you to learn, an exact science, so the best we can hope for is that luck will be with us, and nothing too horrible will happen.

And in the meantime, we will fight the good fight in our own universe, so that if - so that when - our travelers return - they will have something to return to"

xoxox


	13. Disclaimers And Notes

**Dislcaimers**

I am not sure why disclaimers are necessary, because anyone who is reading this story must know I am not, in fact, JK Rowling, and that I don't own any of this, and that I am doing this for fun and frolics, rather than profit and... some other word starting with P.

**Authors Notes**

And so ends the first part of Project Darkling.

The next part : "Project Darkling : The Recall" will be set three years later, and will deal (not surprisingly) with the recall of the nine teams, and the end of the war against Voldemort.

The third (and final) part "Project Darkling : The Missing Years" will tell the stories of what happened to the nine teams in the years they were away, and what happened to Luna, Bella and the other six as they watched and waited.

xoxox

I tend to write two types of stories. The first are ones that I hand-write, then type up. These tend to have plots worked out in advance, and as such I have a very firm idea of what is going to happen from start to end. "The Silent Trio" stories are examples of these - I had the whole arc worked out before I started "The New Girl", and then (for each of the five Hogwarts years) a more detailed plot for each story, worked out story by story (since sometimes something that happens in Year 2 affects the story in Year 3).

The other type are ones that I make up as I go along. The Deathly Silence was the most recent of these - it was a spur of the moment story that, apparently turned out quite well. I write these because I like a challenge - sometimes I will add a last line to the chapter to make the next one more interesting.

"Project Darkling" also falls in to this second category, and it has been a lot of fun to write.

It was prompted by Luna's song in "The Deathly Silence" - when I wrote "Don't you realise there's just one of me", I originally meant just that, but then I realised that it could also mean that - throughout the endless universes, she could be unique in that all the versions of her share the same mind (to one degree or another).

And that was pretty much all I had for the story. The title (Project Darkling) comes from the third series of "Bugs", because I like the word "Darkling", and also I needed something that would not indicate what they were doing ("I suppose if you were in charge of the D-Day Landings, you would have called it "Operation Invade Normandy?") and I am pretty sure "Darkling" fits the bill.

There was very little that was fixed in my mind from the start - the only thing I knew for sure was that people would be going to other universes, and meeting up with the other Lunas. Everything else was just written as it came up. Ginny's betrayal was a spur of the moment thing, as was "Isn't it about time you called me Bella?".

For those of you who haven't recognised the "people called wizards, they go the world?" reference, I was listening to "Life Of Brian" as I wrote that chapter, and I am afraid I couldn't resist (although looking up the latin took me a little while!)

Part 2 ("The Recall") will be started soon, but it might be delayed by the start of Silent Trio Year 4.

Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed.


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